Dark Horse and Kitchen Sink team for Realms: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony Diterlizzi

by Press Release

Press Release

Dark Horse Comics and Kitchen Sink Books are thrilled to announce Realms: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi (June 3, 2015) the first comprehensive collection of game art by the award-winning New York Times bestselling author and illustrator.

Known for his distinctive style depicting fantastical creatures, horrific monsters, and courageous heroes, DiTerlizzi’s illustrations reshaped and defined the worlds of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Planescape, and Magic: The Gathering in the imaginations of legions of devoted roleplaying gamers during the 1990s, before he transitioned to children’s book creation.

Among his most renowned works are the chapter book series The Spiderwick Chronicles, a literary phenomenon which has sold millions of copies and has been translated into 30 languages. In 2008, Spiderwick was adapted into a successful feature film by Paramount and Nickelodeon Pictures. Tony also wrote and illustrated the WondLa trilogy, Ted, Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World Moon Pie Adventure and The Spider and the Fly – the picture book for which he received the Caldecott Honor, one of the most prestigious awards in children’s publishing. DiTerlizzi currently has over 12 million books in print worldwide.

REALMS will be filled with hundreds of illustrations reproduced from the original art, unpublished sketches, and photographs from DiTerlizzi’s archives. In addition, DiTerlizzi will be creating a number of new paintings exclusively for this edition.

”There is no question that the work I did in gaming early in my career shaped me as an author and illustrator for children,” says DiTerlizzi. “In RPGs, I was not just tasked with illustrating a character, but also the artifacts they use, the armor they wear, the places they inhabit and the monsters they vanquish. It was my introduction to worldbuilding and an experience I will forever cherish.”

“Dark Horse has been fortunate enough to work with some of history’s greatest artists” said Dark Horse president Mike Richardson. “I am excited to add Tony DiTerlizzi’s name to a list that includes the likes of Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, and Geof Darrow.”

“Tony was one of the most respected and well-known names in gaming when he made a risky decision to make the leap and pursue his lifelong dream of illustrating books for younger readers,” says Kitchen Sink Books co-founder and REALMS editor/designer John Lind. “His unique artistic style and success in that genre is a tribute to his roots in gaming. For fans of his work, REALMS is a dream project and one that we’ve spoken about assembling for years. We’re thrilled to finally make this book become a reality—we hope fans will feel the same!”

Praise for REALMS: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi

“Tony’s work has a distinct flair, a love for monsters if you will. His creatures have the charm of Henson or Rackham but they carry with them hints of their own ecosystem. He stands alone as a creator of worlds and a weaver of tales. May you treasure these art pieces as much as I do.” – Guillermo del Toro (Director of Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, and Pacific Rim)

“Tony draws and paints some of the best dragons around, which is a lot harder than you might think. And I should know!” – Christopher Paolini (Author of Eragon, from his introduction)

Realms: The Roleplaying Game Art of Tony DiTerlizzi Full color hardcover, 9×12, 224 pages is available June 3, 2015. Two special deluxe editions of REALMS will also be offered in limited quantities: The “Double Damage” edition features an enclosed signed and numbered print of a new exclusive image produced for REALMS. The very limited “Critical Hit” edition will contain an original DiTerlizzi drawing bound into the book. More details on these exciting deluxe editions will be announced in the coming months.

About Tony DiTerlizzi
A New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Tony DiTerlizzi has been illustrating books for over two decades. From picture books he’s written and illustrated, like Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World Moon Pie Adventure, Ted and The Spider & The Fly (a Caldecott Honor book), to chapter books like Kenny and The Dragon and the WondLa trilogy, Tony always imbues his stories with a rich imagination. He also co-created and illustrated the middle-grade series, The Spiderwick Chronicles, which has sold millions of copies, been adapted into a feature film, and has been translated into over 30 languages. Earlier this year he teamed up with Lucasfilm to retell the original Star Wars trilogy in picture book format featuring artwork by Academy Award®-winning concept artist Ralph McQuarrie (release date: October 7, 2014). His association with roleplaying art goes back to 1992 when, after graduating from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with a degree in graphic design, Tony began working freelance for TSR, publisher of Dungeons & Dragons – a game that had inspired him to become an illustrator as a child. He illustrated many fantastical images of warriors, wizards and monsters throughout the 1990’s, and contributed many images to the collectible card game Magic the Gathering.

About Dark Horse
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, EVE Online, Halo, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

About Kitchen Sink Books
A near namesake of the legendary underground and alternative publisher Kitchen Sink Press (1969–1999), Kitchen Sink Books was founded in 2013 by partners Denis Kitchen and John Lind, and is exclusively affiliated with Dark Horse Comics. In 2013, the Kitchen Sink Books imprint published The Best of Comix Book: When Marvel Comics Went Underground (which was nominated for multiple 2014 Harvey Awards). In 2014, Kitchen Sink Books will publish Harvey Kurtzman’s Jungle Book, the first in their ambitious Essential Kurtzman library series; Popular Skullture (by esteemed art director/editor/designer Monte Beauchamp); and cult favorite Bob Powell’s Complete Cave Girl. Since 2005, the Kitchen & Lind team has garnered numerous award nominations, winning Eisner and Harvey Awards for their books from various publishers, including Abrams, Chronicle, Bloomsbury, and Hyperion. An exciting publishing program of artist monographs, classic comics reprints, original graphic novels, and Gallery Editions from a surprising array of talent are on Kitchen Sink Books’s horizon.